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The Use of Literary Classics in Teaching Medical Ethics to Physicians

Author

Radwany, Steven M.

Adelson, Bernard H.

Bibliographic Citation

JAMA. 1987 Mar 27; 257(12): 1629-1631.

Abstract

The "Great Books Course in Medical Ethics" offered by the Department
of Medicine of Evanston Hospital in Evanston, Illinois, is described. The
course, a series of monthly seminars for attending staff and medical house
staff, is intended as a forum in which great works of literature serve as the
springboard for exploring issues of clinical medical ethics. It is taught by
an experienced Great Books discussion leader, assisted by an ethicist, a
philosopher, and a clinical nephrologist. Participants in the seminars have
found them beneficial in enhancing their analytical skills for addressing
ethical problems. The course is extracurricular; evaluation is nonstructured
and based on participant feedback, which is discussed in the article. (KIE
abstract)